Privacy Statement

Our Council values your privacy and will only collect personal information directly from you or your authorised agent. We will collect information only for lawful purposes related to our Council functions, and we will only request information that is necessary for the purpose of the collection. Collection may occur through various means, such as phone, written correspondence, email, facsimile, Council forms, Council website, or in person.

When you visit our Council's website, we may collect additional information about your use of the website, such as which pages you visit, which files you download, your internet browser, operating system, the address of the referring site, and your internet protocol (IP) address. We use this information to maintain, secure and improve our website, and to enhance your experience when using it. Please note that we do not match any data collected with any personal information, which means website users browse our website anonymously. We do not attempt to identify individual users or their browsing activities except, in the unlikely event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the logs.

We also use social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google Plus, and YouTube to communicate with the public about our services. If you communicate with us using these services, we may collect your personal information, but we will only use it to help us communicate with you and the public. Please be aware that the social networking service will also handle your personal information for its own purposes. This Privacy Statement does not extend to social networking services or other third-party websites.

In some instances, we may use drones for aerial survey work related to waste management, compliance, infrastructure management, and community events. During drone flights, personal information such as digital imagery may be collected, but we will only use it to perform Council functions.

Any information collected through submissions and petitions is considered public information, which may form part of Council reports or be made public in their entirety subject to the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA). If you consider that the personal safety of any person would be affected if the information in your submission is not suppressed, you may request in writing that Council suppress the personal information in your submission from public release. Any such request will be dealt with in accordance with the GIPA and the PPIPA.

We take the security of your personal information seriously and store it securely. Information is retained for as long as required by law, and we protect it from unauthorised access, use, or disclosure by applying appropriate security measures and staff training.

Your personal information will only be used by Council for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related purpose, unless you consent to another use or disclosure, in emergencies, or as required or authorised by law.

We only disclose personal information with your consent or if you were informed at the time of collection that we would do so. We may also disclose information if it is for a related purpose and we believe that you would not object.

In some cases, we may disclose personal information to a third party in connection with the provision of a service to Council (e.g., consultants and contractors). In such cases, we only authorise the use of the information to provide the services or to perform the functions required by us. We take all reasonable steps within our power to prevent unauthorised use or disclosure of the information.

We dispose of personal information appropriately and in accordance with legislative requirements, ensuring that it is securely destroyed when no longer required.

As an individual, you have certain rights when it comes to your personal information. These rights include:

1. The right to know whether Council holds any personal information about you.
2. The right to access the personal information that Council holds about you.
3. The right to request that Council correct any incorrect or outdated personal information it holds about you.
4. The right to make a complaint or request an internal review if you believe that Council has mishandled your personal information.

We take these rights seriously and will work to ensure that we comply with our obligations under privacy laws. If you have any questions about your rights or how we handle your personal information, please do not hesitate to contact us.